Busy shopping center near Columbia to get a new location of national restaurant
A new location of a well-known national smoothie chain is planned for a busy area of Forest Acres.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe, which has locations across the U.S., is planning a new shop at 4711 Forest Drive suite 24. That’s in a large shopping center that is anchored by a Lowes Foods grocery store.
A spokeswoman for the city of Forest Acres confirmed that construction plans for the smoothie shop have been submitted and approved. An opening date has not been announced.
The Tropical Smoothie will be located in the space between a Lee Nails salon and Lillian’s Bakery and Eatery, a couple doors down from a Takosushi restaurant. Other businesses in that shopping center include CVS, Eggs Up Grill, a UPS Store, and more.
There are more than 1,300 Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations nationwide, according to the company’s franchising website. There are eight locations in the general Columbia and Lexington area.
The menu at Tropical Smoothie Cafe includes, as you might imagine, a number of smoothies, including fruit blends, super veggie smoothies and fusion offerings. The restaurant also offers acai bowls, wraps, flatbreads, and more.
The Forest Drive corridor in Forest Acres near Columbia remains one of the busiest commercial areas in the Midlands, filled with restaurants, stores, grocers and other services. More than 27,000 cars per day travel down Forest Drive, per S.C. Department of Transportation data.
